Longrow 11 Year Single Cask First Fill Sauternes

A brief rant: It's quite tiresome to input tasting notes on my phone only to write the full reviews on a computer. Perhaps I'm becoming old-fashioned, but phones just aren't suited for writing more than a few sentences. It baffles me why the internet has shifted to exclusively catering to them. I'll also be gradually reviewing more of my single casks and independent bottlings. While these aren't readily available bottles (though this particular one is currently found in several US states), my experience suggests that if you appreciate a distillery and have an idea of its age and cask types, you can make well-informed guesses based on others' reviews. Therefore, these reviews still hold value. With that in mind, I will attempt to discuss the distillery and cask characteristics, which I believe are more consistent. Aroma: I detect what I'd call a red malt. It's sweet, slightly fruity, with a malt profile akin to an amber beer, followed by salt, wax (almost candle wax), and finally lightly toasted oak barrels. Taste: Longrow's malt consistently presents a hearty, funky, salty, unrefined, and aggressive barley note. This is very evident in this younger cask. It's an extremely salty Longrow, likely from these first-fill Sauternes hogsheads. The overall impression is a savory Scotch profile I haven't encountered before. I've tried Springbank Sauternes, and I'm unsure if it was first-fill, but I remember it being much sweeter. While Springbank malt is a bit sweeter with less peat, I believe the casks play the most significant role here. There's still a mid-palate sweetness from the wine, bringing notes of berries and vanilla, so it's not purely savory. *With water: It introduces more sweetness but diminishes the finish and enhances the oak. While not unpleasant with a drop, I'll likely avoid it going forward. This is one of the most unique Longrow/Springbank bottlings, which is significant given the brand's already distinctive character. You can still clearly discern the classic Longrow elements, but the casks used here are truly interesting. Score: 3.25. This is approaching truly special territory. Generally, I find Longrows fall between 2.5 and 3.75, ranging from good to just shy of great, and this one fits well within that spectrum. Price: These typically sell for around $120-130, but I found this one for $80 and, yes, I bought backups.

Shared this at a friend's place tonight. Truly enjoyable with considerably more sweet wine cask character and some peaty undertones. Just shy of Octomore 8.2. Smell: Mango, Honey, Pineapple, White Chocolate, Pear, Flowers, Peat, Vanilla, pepper Taste: Peat, Caramel, Chocolate, Pepper Aftertaste: White Chocolate, Honey, Apricot, Cherry, Flowers

Heavy smoke with a hint of peat. Nice color and a sweet warmth.